Phaeochromocytoma in the Hong Kong Chinese population

To review the clinical manifestations of phaeochromocytoma in a Hong Kong Chinese population.

Retrospective review. SETTING. Five public hospitals in Hong Kong.

Seventeen patients with operated phaeochromocytoma between 1994 and 2003 were reviewed retrospectively.

Six patients (35%) were men, 11 (65%) were women. The mean age at presentation was 47 (range, 17-72) years. The diagnosis post-presentation was delayed by 1 to 132 months. Over 70% of the patients had hypertension. The most frequent symptoms were headache (53%), palpitations (53%), and sweating (41%); all these symptoms were present in 24% of the patients. Four (24%) had hereditary phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma syndrome. The sensitivity of 24-hour urinary catecholamine measurements was 82%. Mean urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations were respectively 7- and 8-fold greater than the upper reference limits. Computed tomography and metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy were the most widely used means for tumour localisation (sensitivity, 100% and 87% respectively). Approximately 65% of the patients had intra-adrenal tumours; 53% were on right side, 18% were bilateral. All the patients were prescribed phenoxybenzamine (dosage range, 20-120 mg/day) preoperatively. Two thirds of the patients had improved blood pressure 1 year after the operation. No malignancy was reported after a mean follow-up period of 7 years.

Our series of patients with phaeochromocytomas commonly had a high frequency of normotension and extra-adrenal tumours. A high index of clinical suspicion and appropriate biochemical investigations are necessary to make the diagnosis, especially for patients manifesting adrenal incidentaloma and extra-adrenal lesion.